Scottish Executive

Animal Welfare

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the welfare of farm animals is adequately protected under current government guidelines.

Ross Finnie: Yes. There is extensive European and domestic legislation and comprehensive guidance in place setting out standards and conditions for the welfare of farmed animals.

  All producers must meet these conditions. Regular inspections are undertaken and breaches of the legislation can result in prosecutions.

Animal Welfare

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it proposes to introduce new guidelines that will lead to improved conditions and welfare of farm animals.

Ross Finnie: Comprehensive standards and conditions for the welfare of farm animals, reflecting European and domestic legislation, are in place, in the form of Welfare Codes and leaflets and these are reviewed regularly.

  A new Welfare Code for sheep has recently been issued and, subject to parliamentary approval, it is proposed to issue new Welfare Codes for meat chickens and laying hens in the coming months. In addition, consultation exercises, seeking comments from all interested parties on proposed new Welfare Codes for cattle and pigs, will be undertaken in due course.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the question S1O-4777 by Iain Gray on 7 March 2002, when the figures for anti-social behaviour orders for the period 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2001 will become available; whether instructions to gather this information have been issued and, if not, when such instructions will be given.

Iain Gray: The Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland is commissioned by the Scottish Executive to undertake an annual exercise to determine the use being made of evictions for anti-social behaviour and Anti-Social Behaviour Orders. The 2000 survey was published in May 2001. The institute has been instructed, in line with the previous answer, to undertake the 2001 survey but changes in personnel have delayed progress and the survey will not now be published until August 2002.

Apprenticeships

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals are being considered in relation to increasing the number of apprenticeships in the (a) manufacturing and (b) service industries.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Enterprise Network works with other key partners to increase the number of Modern Apprenticeships in manufacturing industries and in a broad range of service sector industries. The Make it in Scotland roadshow campaign aims to promote the image of the manufacturing sector to S2 pupils and to raise awareness of career opportunities, including Modern Apprenticeships. The roadshows will be rolled out nationally in 2002-03.

Children

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all local authorities have been asked to account for their use of the funds allocated for education resources for looked-after children and, if not, which local authorities have not and whether it will explain why.

Cathy Jamieson: As I announced on 10 January, all local authorities have been asked to report to us at the end of this academic year on what they have achieved with the fund of up to £10 million for educational resources for looked-after children announced last October. Information from the report will be made public.

Children

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many project bids have been received for the Changing Children's Services Fund at 31 March 2002, broken down by local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: Proposals for the drugs strand of the fund (£18 million over the years 2001-04) were invited by 1 April 2001. All 32 local authorities have had proposals approved and have taken up their allocation. Proposals for the main part of the fund (£63.5 million over the years 2002-04) were invited by 1 April 2002. As at 22 April, 26 proposals had been received covering the following local authority areas:

  Aberdeen City

  Aberdeenshire

  Angus

  Argyll and Bute

  Clackmannanshire

  Dumfries and Galloway

  Dundee City

  East Ayrshire

  Edinburgh, The City of

  Eilean Siar

  Falkirk

  Fife

  Glasgow City

  Highland

  Inverclyde

  Midlothian

  Moray

  North Ayrshire

  North Lanarkshire

  Orkney Islands

  Renfrewshire

  Scottish Borders

  Shetland Islands

  South Ayrshire

  South Lanarkshire

  Stirling

  Proposals from the remaining six local authority areas are expected shortly.

Crime

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what role civilian neighbourhood or community wardens could play in reducing the fear of crime.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive has provided funding under the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund for a pilot to explore the use of neighbourhood wardens in part of Paisley. Their principal function will be to observe and report incidents to local authority colleagues or the police, as appropriate, with the aim of reducing vandalism and anti-social behaviour. They will have no powers to arrest, stop or detain.

Crime

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a scheme similar to the community wardens scheme in England and Wales is in place in Scotland and, if not, whether it has any plans to introduce such a scheme.

Mr Jim Wallace: We have no plans for community support officers with police powers to undertake neighbourhood patrols along the lines proposed south of the border. However, the Executive has provided funding under the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund for a pilot to explore the use of neighbourhood wardens in part of Paisley. The role of these wardens, who will be employed by Renfrewshire Council and work closely with Strathclyde Police, will be to observe and report incidents with the aim of reducing vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

Drug Misuse

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is providing for parents whose children are addicted to drugs.

Dr Richard Simpson: The Executive has allocated £20 million, over three years, to the Changing Children's Services Fund for drugs projects targeted towards children. A further £2 million, again over three years, has been allocated to the Lloyds TSB Foundation to support vulnerable children and young people affected by drug misuse.

  The Executive has issued guidance for consultation, Getting Our Priorities Right, which gives guidance on developing policies and promoting good practice for working with children and families where there is a drug misuse problem. We will also produce a report, later this year, on effective practice for family support which will take into account dialogue with the families of drug misusers.

Drug Misuse

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultant psychiatrists dealing with substance misuse are (a) currently employed and (b) were employed in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area and expressed (i) per capita and (ii) as a ratio of the number of consultants to the number of registered drug misusers.

Dr Richard Simpson: Information held centrally on consultant psychiatrists does not specify the number that deal with substance misuse. The former index of registered drug addicts has been discontinued, so the term "registered drug misuser" is no longer used.

Drug Misuse

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many community psychiatric nurses dealing with the misuse of drugs are (a) currently employed and (b) were employed in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area and expressed (i) per capita and (ii) as a ratio of the number of posts to the number of registered drug misusers.

Dr Richard Simpson: Information held centrally on community psychiatric nurses does not specify the number dealing with the misuse of drugs. The former index of registered drug addicts has been discontinued, so the term "registered drug misuser" is no longer used.

Drug Misuse

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding was awarded to each NHS board for tackling drug misuse in (a) the current year and (b) each of the last five years expressed (i) per capita and (ii) per registered drug misuser.

Dr Richard Simpson: The following table 1 details the resources allocated to NHS boards for drug treatment services since 1998-99, broken down by NHS board area. Funding for drug services prior to 1998-99 was arranged by contract between the Common Services Agency and individual boards and the information is not available centrally.

  The following table 2 details the allocated funding per capita, broken down by NHS board area. The term "registered drug misuser" no longer exists. However, the final column details the funding per problem drug user, as estimated in the recent national survey of problem drug misuse.

  Table 1

  


NHS Board


Allocation 1998-99
(£000)


Allocation 1999-2000
(£000)


Allocation 2000-01
(£000)


Allocation 2001-02
(£000)


Allocation 2002-03
(£000)




Argyll and Clyde


709


901


984


1,111


1,338




Ayrshire and Arran


403


535


609


737


987




Borders


68


96


118


160


162




Dumfries and Galloway


61


96


124


298


258




Fife


328


445


514


698


789




Forth Valley


103


172


226


462


557




Grampian


750


972


1,085


1,283


1,313




Greater Glasgow1


2,871


3,502


3,670


4,3871


4,4881




Highland


86


137


181


300


414




Lanarkshire


333


497


607


862


1,449




Lothian


2,263


2,776


2,922


3,214


3,539




Orkney


11


16


20


24


32




Shetland


28


37


42


46


55




Tayside


933


1,151


1,225


1,348


1,483




Western Isles


13


20


25


43


87




Total Scotland


8,960


11,352


12,352


14,973


16,951




  Table 2

  


NHS Board


Per Capita 1998-99
(£)


Per Capita 1999-2000
(£)


Per Capita
2000-01
(£)


Per Capita2 2001-02
(£)


Per Capita2 2002-03
(£)


Per Problem User3
2002-03




Argyll and Clyde


1.66


2.12


2.32


2.63


3.18


247.6




Ayrshire and Arran


1.07


1.43


1.63


1.98


2.66


322.6




Borders


0.64


0.90


1.10


1.49


1.51


276




Dumfries and Galloway


0.41


0.65


0.85


2.06


1.79


219




Fife


0.94


1.27


1.47


1.99


2.25


275.2




Forth Valley


0.37


0.62


0.81


1.66


2.00


252.3




Grampian


1.43


1.85


2.07


2.46


2.53


242.6




Greater Glasgow1


3.15


3.87


4.06


4.86


4.99


280.9




Highland


0.41


0.66


0.87


1.44


1.99


402.2




Lanarkshire


0.59


0.88


1.08


1.53


2.58


285.5




Lothian


2.92


3.57


3.73


4.08


4.48


416.4




Orkney


0.56


0.82


1.03


1.24


1.66


1111




Shetland


1.22


1.63


1.87


2.07


2.49


505.6




Tayside


2.39


2.96


3.18


3.52


3.90


344.6




Western Isles


0.47


0.73


0.92


1.60


3.28


1345.4




Total Scotland


1.75


2.22


2.42


2.93


3.32


303.7




  Source: Estimating the National and Local Prevalence of Problem Drug Misuse in Scotland, November 2001.

  Notes:

  1. Funding does not include additional resources of £250,000 allocated to Greater Glasgow NHS Board in 2001-02 or £500,000 in 2002-03 to meet the treatment costs of the Glasgow Drug Court pilot.

  2. The populations used for years 2001 and 2002 are projections based on the 2000 population.

  3. Problem drug misuse is defined as use of opiates and benzodiazepines.

Drug Misuse

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times were for (a) high-risk and (b) low-risk drug misusers who were referred to local NHS substance misuse services by (i) GPs and (ii) any other route in (1) the current year and (2) each of the last three years.

Dr Richard Simpson: The information requested is not held centrally.

  Waiting time information for drug misuse treatment is not held consistently by drug services across Scotland. We do regard waiting times to treatment as important and so we are currently seeking from Drug Action Teams some local information on waiting times for drug services, as part of the annual corporate planning arrangements.

Drug Misuse

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average number of GP referrals to local substance misuse services is in (a) the current year and (b) each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board area.

Dr Richard Simpson: Information on the average number of GP referrals to local substance misuse services is not held centrally. However, the following table provides information on the source of referral recorded by new individual patients attending specialist drug services and reported to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database during 1998-99 to 2000-01. Information for 2001-02 is not yet available.

  Source of Referrals to Specialist Drug Services1,2,3.

  Years Ending 31 March.

  New Individual Patients/Clients Only.

  

 

1998-99


1999-2000


2000-01




Number of Referrals


% of Referrals


Number of Referrals


% of Referrals


Number of Referrals


% of Referrals




Scotland


7,413


100


8,930


100


9,170


100




Self


2,514


34


2,844


32


2,944


32




GP


3,207


43


4,045


45


3,902


43




Other4


1,692


23


2,041


23


2,324


25




  Notes:

  1. Reports to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database, relating to new patients. "New" is defined as (a) the person is attending the particular service for the first time ever or (b) the person has attended before but not within the previous six months.

  2. All figures in this table exclude penal establishment inmates and information received from needle exchanges.

  3. Specialist Drug Services includes statutory and non-statutory services, specialist social work teams and residential rehabilitation services.

  4. Other includes family, friends, specialist drug services and non-specialist services.

Education

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a detailed breakdown of all the costs of its National Debate on Education consultation in (a) 2001-02 and (b) 2002-03.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24690 today. Of the activities quoted, work which was completed by the end of March 2002 cost £130,000. Costs for 2002-03 will also include sums for analysis of feedback and for events during the national debate. Figures for total expenditure will be available in the autumn.

Education

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) Roman Catholic children currently attend non-denominational schools and (b) non-Roman Catholic children currently attend Roman Catholic Schools.

Nicol Stephen: This information is not held centrally, as the Scottish Executive does not collect information relating to the religious denomination of individual pupils.

Education

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any additional costs in providing separate infrastructures for non-denominational and Roman Catholic schools and, if so, what these costs are.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive does not hold detailed information that would allow any accurate conclusion to be drawn as to whether additional costs are associated with the provision of separate infrastructures for non-denominational and Roman Catholic schools. A wide range of factors influences the cost of education provision in each local authority area.

Education

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce anti-sectarian courses into the curriculum at both primary and secondary level.

Cathy Jamieson: There are no plans to introduce anti-sectarian courses into the curriculum in Scottish schools.

  Guidance to education authorities and schools and the framework of national qualifications provide relevant opportunities for raising awareness of matters such as sectarianism, through education for citizenship within the subject areas of personal and social development, religious and moral education, and under social subjects within Environmental Studies. The Scottish Executive also funds the Scottish School Ethos Network, which shares good practice in promoting positive ethos in schools, and the Anti-Bullying Network which provides advice and consultancy to schools and shares good practice.

Education

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the Northern Ireland Executive concerning the education programme operating in Northern Ireland to tackle sectarianism amongst schoolchildren.

Cathy Jamieson: There have been no detailed discussions concerning the Education for Mutual Understanding programme operating in Northern Ireland. However, Scottish Executive officials are aware of the programme and have had contact with Northern Ireland Executive officials.

  We are working with education authorities, schools and relevant organisations in taking forward our commitment to promote equality of opportunity for all and to raising the attainment levels of all our young people. Every school is expected to have an equal opportunities policy, and the curriculum offers a number of opportunities to address the issue of sectarianism.

Education

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the Northern Ireland Executive concerning the feasibility of a joint study of sectarianism in schools and how it might be eradicated.

Cathy Jamieson: There have been no such discussions between the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Executive.

Education

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the education for mutual understanding programme in Northern Ireland and what plans it has to introduce a similar programme in Scotland.

Cathy Jamieson: There has been no assessment made of the education for mutual understanding programme in Northern Ireland, and there are no plans at present to introduce a similar programme in Scotland.

  Tackling sectarianism in Scottish schools falls under our overarching efforts to promote equal opportunities in schools. One of the five National Priorities for school education set by Scottish ministers, focuses specifically on teaching pupils respect for self and others, and the duties and responsibilities of citizenship in a democratic society.

Education

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the age and stage guidelines and regulations in place in the Scottish Qualifications Authority in the light of matches in syllabus content for Higher Still, Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 examinations.

Nicol Stephen: While the number of requests for exemptions from the age and stage regulations being received by the Scottish Qualifications Authority has increased this year, the overall number of requests is still fairly low. However, I will now consider whether a further review of these regulations is necessary.

Enterprise

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs were (a) created and (b) retained as a direct result of inward investment from (i) EU member-states and (ii) third countries in the last three years.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The information is set out on the following table. The job figures refer to planned employment by companies at the time the decision to invest was made, and do not include investment from other parts of the UK.

  


 


1998-99


1999-2000


2000-01




New Jobs


Safeguarded Jobs


New Jobs


Safeguarded Jobs


New Jobs


Safeguarded Jobs




EU Countries


909


732


1,851


593


2,437


164




Third Countries


0


0


0


0


0


0

Forestry Commission

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24371 by Allan Wilson on 12 April 2002, what the amount is of each EU grant received by the Forestry Commission and what each grant has been spent on in each of the last three years.

Allan Wilson: The amount of each EU grant received by the Forestry Commission in each of the last three years, for work in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, is shown in the following table, together with details of what each grant has been spent on.

  


Year


Grant Type


Total Grant


Work Carried Out




1999


Life 97


£36,275


Restoration of native broadleaf woodland on the eastern 
  side of Loch Lomond




2000


Life 97


£8,631


As in 1999




ERDF Objective 2


£15,509


Improving forest environs at key visitor destinations




2001


Life 97


£42,844


As in 1999




ERDF Objective 2


£95,883


Construction and upgrade of 8.3 km of paths, new toilet 
  block on Forest Drive and buildings work at QEFP Visitor 
  Centre. Also environs work to create viewpoints or visually 
  diverse forest structures along some 10.5 km of paths

Health

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information is available on the number of accident and emergency admissions to hospitals in (a) Glasgow, (b) Lanarkshire and (c) Renfrewshire on the dates of Celtic versus Rangers football matches in each of the past seven years and how these compare with normal rates of admission.

Malcolm Chisholm: My department does not hold this information. I would, therefore, suggest that any information that is available could best be obtained from the Acute NHS trusts in the Greater Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire areas.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the effects of hormone replacement therapy on women undergoing this treatment are monitored.

Malcolm Chisholm: Clinicians with responsibility for treating a patient are also responsible for monitoring their progress and the effects of that treatment, including ensuring that any appropriate follow-up action is taken.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are clinical standards relating to the monitoring of hormone replacement therapy on women undergoing this treatment and, if so, whether these standards are being applied vigorously and consistently.

Malcolm Chisholm: There are no clinical standards for the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The decision to prescribe a drug for a patient is a matter for the clinical judgement of the patient's doctor based on the patient need, and is informed by the advice and guidance about the drug contained in the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) and the Patient Information Leaflet. The SPC contains information on the safe and effective use of a product and provides the health professional with information that may help in determining a patient's possible susceptibility to the known side effects of HRT.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many GPs in the NHS reported adverse symptoms of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to the Medicines Control Agency in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Medicines Control Agency received eight reports of suspected adverse drug reactions through the Yellow Card Scheme, in association with HRT use from GPs in Scotland in 1999 and 2000 and nine reports in 2001.

Health

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the Pan Lothian Review Group's recommendation that consideration should be given to ensuring that there is a "clear split between elective and emergency care on a Lothian wide basis"; whether such a split could be achieved by operating one emergency and complex medicine centre supported by up to four diagnostic assessment centres, and whether the recommendation reflects national strategic guidance on the provision of emergency services.

Malcolm Chisholm: Decisions arising from the recommendations of the Pan Lothian Review Group's report are, in the first place, the responsibility of NHS Lothian, in discussion with its trusts. In making any decisions, I expect NHS Lothian to be guided by the latest available evidence, and by current good practice, to ensure the best possible service for patients in Lothian.

Health

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether national health priorities can be met, given that a 1% per annum strategic change deduction to be applied by Lothian NHS Board has been agreed by the board's Chief Executive.

Malcolm Chisholm: It is good practice for boards and trusts to identify cash releasing efficiency savings, to enable local/national health priorities to be met.

Hospitals

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many trained nurses were recruited to hospitals from (a) EU member states and (b) third countries in each of the last three years, broken down by country of origin.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Hospitals

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the maintenance of a fully-resourced, full-time accident and emergency facility within St. John's Hospital in Livingston.

Malcolm Chisholm: A Criteria Submission for the refurbishment of the accident and emergency department at St John's Hospital was recently approved by the Scottish Executive Health Department's Capital Investment Group. We look forward to this major step forward in terms of service provision in this area.

Justice

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) individuals and (b) companies were convicted of offences relating to fly-tipping in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001 and what the range of penalties imposed upon such offenders was.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information is given in the following table. Data for the year 2001 are not yet available.

  Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts where the Main Offence was a Litter Offence1, 1999-2000

  


 


1999


2000




Companies:




Fine


-


1




Total


-


1




Average Fine (£)


-


7,500




Persons:




Fine


28


12




Admonished


3


1




Total


31


13




Average Fine (£)


56


116




  Note:

  1. Includes general litter offences and offences under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978.

Justice

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) individuals and (b) companies were convicted of offences relating to the pollution of rivers and other waterways in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001 and what the range of penalties imposed upon such offenders was.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information is given in the following table. Data for the year 2001 are not yet available.

  Persons with a Charge Proved where the Main Offence Related to Pollution of Rivers and Other Waterways1

  


 


1999


2000




Companies:


 


 




Fine


17


21




Other2


2


2




Total


19


23




Average Fine (£)


3,706


3,090




Persons:


 


 




Fine


4


3




Other2


3


-




Total


7


3




Average Fine (£)


412


2,167




  Notes:

  1. Includes relevant offences under the Control of Pollution Act 1974 and the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

  2. Includes absolute discharge, admonished and no order made.

Justices of the Peace

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Justices of the Peace were appointed in the last three years, broken down by (a) gender and (b) social class in terms of the classification used by the Register General.

Mr Jim Wallace: A total of 343 justices of the peace have been appointed since 1 April 1999, of which 212 are male and 131 female. This total includes 117 justices appointed ex officio by local authorities, 80 of whom are male and 37 female.

  Information on social class is not collected centrally.

Local Government Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the replacement of current arrangements under section 94 controls on local authority capital expenditure with a more flexible system, as outlined in its consultation document Local Government Bill - Outline of Proposals , will have on (a) local authorities, (b) the Scottish Consolidated Fund, (c) capital expenditure controlled by it and (d) Her Majesty's Treasury.

Mr Andy Kerr: Under the proposed new system, local authorities would determine their own capital spending with reference to locally-set prudential indicators. They will be allowed to borrow for capital spending without the consent of ministers, provided that they can afford to service the debt. Further details are contained in the recently published Local Government Consultative Document - Renewing Local Democracy (The Next Steps) - a copy of which is available from the Parliament's Reference Centre.

  The new arrangements will require changes to the treatment of local authority capital expenditure within the assigned budget. These are being discussed with the Treasury.

Marine Environment

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when the forthcoming report on marine stewardship will be published.

Allan Wilson: The first Marine Stewardship Report - Safeguarding Our Seas: A Strategy for the Conversation and Sustainable Development of our Marine Environment was published today in London by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

  The Scottish Executive was closely involved in the preparation of the report, which sets out a joint vision for the marine environment - clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas with a commitment to an ecosystem-based management approach. This is underpinned by the principles of sustainable development, integrated management, the conservation of biological diversity, robust science and the precautionary principle. There is also a commitment on the greater involvement of stakeholders.

  An electronic version of the report can be found on the DEFRA website at:

  www.defra.gov.uk/environment/marine/.

NHS Funding

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding for general medical services for (a) cash limited and (b) non-cash limited expenditure was allocated to each NHS board in (i) the current year and (ii) each of the last three years expressed per capita, giving any projected or actual overspends and underspends in each case.

Malcolm Chisholm: Details are as follows:

  


NHS Board


1999-2000 GMS Cash Limited Allocation Per Capita
(£)


1999-2000 GMS Cash Limited Over/ Underspend
(£000)


1999-2000 GMS Non-cash
Limited Allocation Per Capita
(£)


2000-01 GMS Cash Limited Allocation Per Capita
(£)


2000-01 GMS Cash Limited Over/ Underspend
(£000)


2000-01 GMS Non-cash
Limited Allocation Per Capita
(£)




Argyll and Clyde


17


946


53


18


930


56




Ayrshire and Arran


18


1,139


50


18


2,344


53




Borders


16


577


55


17


611


62




Dumfries and Galloway


21


446


60


21


266


63




Fife


18


-123


49


18


267


52




Forth Valley


18


37


50


19


-42


58




Grampian


19


893


53


20


78


51




Greater Glasgow


20


5,288


51


21


6,409


57




Highland


23


737


76


23


1,154


81




Lanarkshire


14


352


46


14


774


49




Lothian


20


147


50


20


1,607


53




Orkney


19


25


101


20


101


113




Shetland


20


280


82


21


207


88




Tayside


23


1,278


54


24


1,188


60




Western Isles


41


-60


85


42


-66


87




  


NHS Board


2001-02 GMS Cash Limited Allocation Per Capita
(£)


2001-02 GMS Cash Limited Over/ Underspend
(£000)


2001-02
GMS Non-cash Limited Allocation Per Capita
(£)


2002-03
GMS Cash Limited Allocation Per Capita
(£)


2002-03
GMS Non-cash Limited Allocation Per Capita
(£)




Argyll and Clyde


18


1,004


58


19


64




Ayrshire and Arran


19


3,119


55


20


58




Borders


17


807


65


18


68




Dumfries and Galloway


22


360


65


22


69




Fife


19


1,950


52


19


54




Forth Valley


19


190


51


20


53




Grampian


21


4,181


55


21


60




Greater Glasgow


21


5,889


57


22


61




Highland


24


2,181


83


25


87




Lanarkshire


15


2,598


52


16


55




Lothian


21


2,604


54


21


57




Orkney


20


29


129


21


102




Shetland


21


349


90


22


82




Tayside


25


3,193


59


25


62




Western Isles


43


-69


104


45


108




  Note:

  1. General Medical Services Non-cash Limited is a demand-led service and therefore final allocations equate to final expenditure.

  2. 2001-02 over/underspends are based on estimated outturn figures.

  3. General Medical Services Non-cash Limited allocation figures for 2002-03 are based on indicative allocations. As a demand-led service, final allocations will equate to total expenditure.

  4. Projected over/underspends are not yet available for 2002-03.

Non-Domestic Rates

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its current policy is on charging business rates on the location of cash machines.

Peter Peacock: Automated telling machine (cash machine) sites are liable for business rates in the same way that all non-domestic lands and heritages, which have not been specifically exempt from rates, are liable. Responsibility for setting rateable values for these sites lies with the Scottish assessors who are independent of both central and local government. Provision for exempting from rates sites occupied by automated telling machines in certain rural areas will be included in the forthcoming Local Government Bill.

Police

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for meeting the financial costs of training police officers of Strathclyde Police Force to deal with disturbances at HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Mr Jim Wallace: This is an operational matter for the force and information of this sort is not held centrally. Generally, however, the costs of training officers of Strathclyde Police would be met partly by the force from within the budget set for it by Strathclyde Joint Police Board and partly by the Scottish Police College.

  Police forces have contingency plans, developed with partner organisations, to cover a variety of situations that may occur at key premises or installations, including each prison, within their areas. These set out individual organisational roles and responsibilities as well as the actions to be taken should a contingency response be required.

Police

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost is of training police officers of Strathclyde Police to deal with disturbances at HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether police officers of Strathclyde Police are being trained to manage disturbances at HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers are being trained to deal with disturbances at HM Prison Kilmarnock and what the duties of such officers will be.

Mr Jim Wallace: This is an operational matter for Strathclyde Police and the information requested is not held centrally.

Police

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time police officers there were in each year since 1997 and how many of these were women officers.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information on police officer numbers in each year since 1997 is given in the following table:

  Number of Police Officers

  


As at:


No. of Male Officers


No. of Female Officers


Total




31/3/97


12,752


2,037


14,789




31/3/98


12,753


2,227


14,980




 


Full-Time


Part-Time


Full-Time


Part-Time


Total




31/3/99


12,540


5


2,128


137


14,810




31/3/00


12,363


11


2,150


175


14,699




31/3/01


12,531


16


2,372


230


15,149




31/3/02


12,490


23


2,451


287


15,251




  Notes:

  1. This information is taken from Quarterly Strength Returns from forces.

  2. Although part-time working and job-sharing was introduced for police officers on 13 December 1995, detailed figures were not collected until 31 March 1999.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Category A prisoners are currently accommodated at HM Prison Kilmarnock; what the maximum number of such prisoners has been to date and how does Schedule D: Part 1 of the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock apply.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Since opening there have been no Category A prisoners accommodated at Kilmarnock.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which parts of the procedures of Scottish ministers do not apply to the operation of HM Prison Kilmarnock as referred to in paragraph 2.2 of Schedule D: Part 1 of the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock .

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  In general, HM Prison Kilmarnock follows or aligns itself with most SPS policies and operational procedures, save for those involving the internal management of the company, external suppliers and other third parties.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24350 by Mr Jim Wallace on 10 April 2002, what performance-related revenue deductions have been incurred under the contract to operate HM Prison Kilmarnock by the prison's operators in each year since the prison opened.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  


1999-2000


£455,757




2000-01


-




2001-02


£178,671

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many performance points have been accrued by the operators of HM Prison Kilmarnock in each year since the prison opened, giving the reason for each accrual.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The performance points accrued by the operators of HM Prison Kilmarnock for years 1, 2 and 3 respectively were 3,843, 2,268 and 3,243. The reasons for these points being accrued are as detailed in the contract between Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited and the SPS, which is available on the SPS website.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24629 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 April 2002, whether it will list each section in the published version of the contract for HM Prison Kilmarnock from which omissions were made and, in each case, what the reasons for each omission were.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  


Contract Section


Reason for Omission




Security


Commercial in Confidence


Lengthy and/or Unnecessary Material




Minute of Agreement


 


3


 




Schedule A


 


 


3




Schedule B


 


 


3




Schedule C


 


 


 




Schedule D


3


3


 




Schedule E


 


3


 




Schedule F


 


 


 




Schedule G


 


 


 




Schedule H


 


3


 




Schedule I


 


 


 




Schedule J


 


3


 




Schedule K


 


 


3




Schedule L


 


 


 




Schedule M


 


 


3




Schedule N


 


3


 




Schedule O


 


 


 




Schedule P


 


3


 




Schedule Q


 


 


 




Direct Agreement


 


 


 




Price Variation Guidelines


 


3

Regulation of Care

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff, showing inspectors and support staff separately, will be employed at the headquarters and each regional and sub-office of the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care.

Hugh Henry: The numbers of staff currently employed by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care at its headquarters and in each of its regional offices are detailed in the following table. Decisions have yet to be made by the Care Commission as to which of those currently assigned meantime to the regional offices will ultimately be attached to the local resource centres currently being set up.

  The Care Commission currently regulates only those care services already regulated prior to 1 April 2002. It will be reviewing its staffing levels in each location as other care services start to be regulated from later dates.

  


Location


Professional Staff


Administrative Staff


Total




Headquarters


29


18


47




North - Aberdeen


55


18


73




Central East - Dundee


76


24


100




Central West - Paisley


71


23


94




South East - Musselburgh


62


19


81




South West- Hamilton


78


25


103




Total


371


127


498

Schools

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce which local authority bids for revenue support for Public/Private Partnership in respect of school buildings projects have been successful.

Mr Andy Kerr: Nicol Stephen and Peter Peacock have recently met all the authorities who have submitted bids for support for school Public/Private Partnership projects to assist in informing decisions on the bids. They indicated to the authorities that further consideration would be necessary before decisions could be taken on individual bids. We expect to decide the way forward this month.

Scottish Executive Consultation

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost is for (a) the design and production materials for public distribution, (b) radio and other media advertising, (c) display advertising including poster sites and (d) other promotional activities including postage and distribution, as part of its National Debate on Education launched on 20 March 2002.

Cathy Jamieson: Promotional activity for the National Debate on Education aims to maximise participation and generate a high level of feedback, which will be shared with the Education, Culture and Sport Committee. The costs are shown in the following table:

  


Activity


Cost (£)




(a) Design and production materials


45,000




(b) Radio and other media advertising


215,000*




(c) Display advertising


40,000




(d) Other promotional activities


60,000*




Total


360,000*




  Note:

  *Costs for on-going activities are latest estimates of final totals.

Scottish Executive Consultation

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) radio advertising slots and (b) poster sites have been booked for advertising its National Debate on Education consultation; what advice it was given regarding the choice of these slots and sites and by whom, and what fee or commission was charged by, or paid to, the agency or individual for this advice.

Cathy Jamieson: The National Debate on Education is being advertised on 13 commercial radio stations and 48 poster sites in key urban locations. Advice on the intensity, location and placement of media to ensure maximum participation in the debate was given by Executive officials, Faulds Advertising Agency and the Media Buyer Feather Brookes Bank. It is not the Executive's practice to disclose the terms of uncompleted contracts.

Scottish Executive Consultation

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the approval process is for spending on promotion and advertising in consultation exercises and what criteria are applied when making such decisions.

Mr Andy Kerr: Decisions about the size of spend for promoting and advertising consultation exercises are taken by the Executive on an on-going basis, with advice on advertising and marketing from the Scottish Executive's Media and Communications Group and the specialist agencies under contract to it. Criteria for the communications spend are based on the specific requirements of individual consultation exercises.

Scottish Executive Consultation

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many public consultations it has undertaken in each year since its inception which involved the publication of a document which was available to the public and/or radio or other media advertising.

Mr Andy Kerr: Written consultation exercises undertaken by the Scottish Executive use a variety of document formats: letters, photocopied papers or published material. All of these documents are made available to the public via the Executive website, in addition to being distributed to targeted organisations and individuals. Consultation documents have been published on the Executive website since its inception. The following table provides details of how many consultation exercises involving written documents have been undertaken by the Scottish Executive each year.

  


Year


Number of Consultations




1999 (from 1 July)


92




2000


140




2001


164




2002 (up to March 2002)


45




  There is no central information available on how many Scottish Executive consultations, each year, involved radio or other media advertising.

Scottish Executive Consultation

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) public consultation documents, (b) responses to public consultation documents and (c) strategic plans or policy papers it intends to publish between 1 April 2002 and 1 May 2003; what subjects these documents will cover and what the estimated date of publication is for each document.

Mr Andy Kerr: Decisions about the publication of consultation documents, strategic plans or policy papers are taken by the Executive on an on-going basis. Consultation papers are posted on the Scottish Executive website. Responses to consultation documents are logged and made available to the public at the Scottish Executive Library (Saughton House).

Scottish Executive Expenditure

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost of the "do a little - change a lot" campaign was in 2001.

Ross Finnie: Accounts are currently being finalised, but the Scottish Executive has provisionally spent £1,015,000 on the "do a little - change a lot" environmental awareness campaign in financial year 2001-02. Many activities in this campaign are run with the help of corporate partners, whose contributions are not included in this figure.

Scottish Executive Publications

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the full costs were of publishing, printing and distributing its draft Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Bill.

Ross Finnie: The draft Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Bill cost £15,244 to publish, print, distribute and add to the Scottish Executive website.

Sectarianism

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been carried out into the feasibility of monitoring crimes to identify any sectarian motivation.

Mr Jim Wallace: A cross party working group has been established to consider possible legislation to tackle religious hatred. As part of its work the group is considering issues relating to the recording and monitoring of crime motivated by sectarianism.

Sectarianism

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has sought and obtained from the Northern Ireland Executive on any ways and means of tackling sectarianism within the NHS and in monitoring sectarian incidents and any subsequent additional pressure on staff and costs.

Malcolm Chisholm: Fair for All and Patient Focus and Public Involvement , published in December of last year, reported on steps taken to develop the commitments in the Involving People section of Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change . They also indicated that NHS boards are expected to take a pro-active and positive approach to delivering health services that respect the individual beliefs and cultural backgrounds of all the people of Scotland. They make it clear that there is no place for discrimination whether on religious belief or any other issue in the way the NHS deals with patients, acts as an employer, or communicates with the public.

  Staff in the UK Health Departments are in regular contact about matters of mutual interest. Best practice from Northern Ireland experience was used in developing this guidance.

Sectarianism

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive who the members are of the task force established to examine sectarianism; which meetings have been held to date; what future meetings are planned; with whom it has consulted; who has made submissions to date, and when the task force will publish its report.

Mr Jim Wallace: The cross party working group on possible legislation to tackle religious hatred is chaired by Dr Richard Simpson MSP, Deputy Minister for Justice, and comprises Ms Margaret Curran MSP, Deputy Minister for Social Justice, Ms Pauline McNeill MSP, Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Lord James Douglas-Hamilton MSP and Mr Donald Gorrie MSP. The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Crown Office are also represented.

  The group has the following remit:

  To consider the need for legislation to combat religious hatred (in particular the creation of a new category of statutory aggravations; and the creation of a new offence of incitement to religious hatred) and if appropriate develop effective and workable proposals for legislation to increase the protection to religious groups in Scotland.

  To consider whether non-legislative action could be taken as an alternative.

  The group held its first meeting on 6 February and is due to meet again on 8 May. The group intends to report on its findings in late summer and will consult with interested parties at that time.

Sectarianism

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when discussions were last held with senior police officers concerning sectarian crime and how it might be best tackled.

Mr Jim Wallace: A cross party working group has been established to consider possible legislation to tackle religious hatred. The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland is represented on the group, which held its first meeting on 6 February and will meet again on 8 May.

Sectarianism

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent estimates have been made of the costs of policing sectarian events such as Orange Order parades and football matches with potential sectarian overtones.

Mr Jim Wallace: Total policing costs in respect of Orange Order parades vary according to the size, location and timing of parades. Most parades (around 600 each year) take place in the areas covered by Strathclyde Police and Lothian and Borders Police. For local marches, where only a small police presence is required, the costs may be less than £100. However, the costs associated with the largest three or four annual events in the Strathclyde Police area are each estimated to be nearly £100,000.

  Total policing costs in relation to football matches with sectarian overtones also vary according to a range of factors, including the clubs involved and the importance of the match in the context of the league or cup. Policing costs will be incurred outside the stadium, for example on traffic and crowd control, as well as inside the ground. Depending on the circumstances, the overall costs of a fixture involving both Rangers and Celtic could be as high as £70,000.

Sectarianism

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether sectarianism in sport has implications for inward investment and tourism.

Mike Watson: There has been no research undertaken into this. However, any issue that portrays Scotland in a bad light will inevitably have an adverse effect on people's perceptions of Scotland. The Executive continues to believe that sectarianism has no place in a modern Scotland.

Shellfish

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to protect the environment and wetland bird population from commercial shellfish extraction such as is taking place at Pettycur Bay, Burntisland, which is both a special protection area and a site of special scientific interest.

Allan Wilson: Fife Council recently served an interim interdict on those fishing cockles at Pettycur Bay to prevent them from harvesting the cockles, and I have been advised that the cocklers are no longer operating at Pettycur Bay.

  The Scottish Executive will consider conducting a cockle stock assessment.

Social Work

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made or will be made of the impact on core social work and education services of initiatives in the early years sector such as the Sure Start programme and new community schools.

Cathy Jamieson: Initiatives like Sure Start Scotland and New Community Schools offer exciting new and integrated ways of delivering core social work, education and health services. We are evaluating their impact both on services and service users and expect to report by mid 2003.

Social Work

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) men and (b) women have completed social work training courses in each of the last four years.

Cathy Jamieson: The figures for the numbers of men and women gaining social work awards in the years 1997-98 to 2000-01 are:

  


 


2000-01


1999-2000


1998-99


1997-98




Female


328


305


273


280




Male


75


100


103


87




Total


403


405


376


367

Social Work

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to encourage people to apply for social work training courses.

Cathy Jamieson: The Executive supports the work of the Scottish Social Services Council in promoting social work as a career and promoting social work training. As part of the action plan launched on 18 April, the Executive will establish an awareness and recruitment campaign which will include encouraging people to apply for social work training courses.

Special Educational Needs

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what training and support is given to teachers in schools with special educational needs units in connection with the integration of children with special educational needs (SEN) into mainstream teaching.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive is providing £20 million under the Inclusion Programme in both 2002-03 and 2003-04. These resources are to facilitate the inclusion of children with special educational needs in mainstream schools and to bring the length of the school week in special schools into line with mainstream provision. In addition, the Executive is providing £7.8 million to education authorities in both 2002-03 and 2003-04 (up from £5.4 million in 2001-02) for the development and training of teachers and school support staff working in SEN. These funds can be used to enable teachers to attend a range of in-service and post-graduate training courses offering both general SEN training and training in specific aspects of SEN.

  The Executive is also funding an Inclusive Schools project, run by Aberdeen University and to be completed in autumn this year, which will provide schools with examples of good practice in inclusive schooling for children with special educational needs.

Special Educational Needs

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many special educational needs units have been built in each of the last three years, and are currently being built, broken down by local authority and giving the capacity of each unit.

Cathy Jamieson: Information on the number of special educational needs units built is not held centrally. However, within the last three years, 18 special educational needs units were opened. These figures include an existing special unit previously falling within the budgetary control of a mainstream school, but which has now been re-classified as an autonomous unit. Also included are special schools which have been re-classified as special units. Information on the capacity of these units is not available.

Taxation

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated revenues are from (a) council tax and (b) business rates in respect of (i) 2000-01, (ii) 2001-02 and (iii) 2002-03.

Peter Peacock: The estimated income from council tax is £1,553 million for 2000-01; £1,649 million for 2001-02, and £1,744 million for 2002-03.

  For business rates, estimated income is £1,576 million for 2000-01 and £1,665 million for 2001-02. We have not yet had councils' formal estimates for the current year.

Waste Management

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific instructions have been given to the enterprise network with respect to providing opportunities for the development of refrigerator decommissioning industries.

Ms Wendy Alexander: No specific instructions have been given to the Enterprise Networks with respect to providing opportunities for the development of refrigerator decommissioning industries. Decommissioning firms will be attracted by the clear market opportunity and I would expect the Enterprise Networks to provide advice and guidance to any such companies as part of their strategic remit to develop business and in ways consistent with the principles of sustainable development.

Youth Crime

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific steps have been and are being taken to tackle persistent youth offending.

Cathy Jamieson: The action programme 2002 to reduce youth crime was launched in January. This programme outlines the steps we are taking to build a safer Scotland and to reduce youth offending. We have invested £25.5 million over four years to improve the range, quality and availability of intensive community-based programmes for persistent young offenders. Through the Youth Justice steering group, we are working closely with SCRA and representatives of the children's hearings system to identify further improvements for tackling persistent offending.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliament Contracts

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Presiding Officer what criteria were applied in the tendering process for the provision of mail services in the Scottish Parliament and when the contract is due for renewal.

Sir David Steel: The existing contract with the Royal Mail is due to terminate upon occupation of the new accommodation at Holyrood. The requirement for a mail screening and mail management/messenger service at Holyrood is currently being tendered and a contract is due to be awarded in November 2002.

  The following criteria were applied to the tendering process for the existing contract:

  1. Ability to meet the Service Requirements, including:

  Screening off-site

  Sorting

  Internal distribution and collection

  Sorting of collected mail and distribution

  Charging

  Mail Redirection Service

  Mail Room

  Added Value Services

  2. Provision of Management Information

  3. Management and Staffing proposals

  4. Security Arrangements

  5. Contract Management Arrangements

  6. Proposed Timescales

  7. Price.